Gender-based Analysis Plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity

Governance

Senior leadership at Shared Services Canada (SSC) is strongly committed to embedding Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) into decision-making processes, recognizing its importance even within an IT-focused organization. While applying GBA Plus in a technical environment can be challenging, given the complexity of IT systems and infrastructure, it is crucial for ensuring that shared services are inclusive, equitable and effective. By integrating GBA Plus, when and where appropriate, the department is better able to identify how different groups use IT, helping to ensure solutions are technically sound for all public servants and ultimately Canadians. GBA Plus is an important part of delivering effective, equitable IT services, and SSC is committed to ensuring that it is an integrated element in its governance and decision making processes.

In fiscal year 2023-24, SSC’s GBA Plus Guidance Unit participated in 1 intra-departmental network to advance GBA Plus within the context of Accessibilities and Enterprise Transformation. Additionally, the Guidance Unit represented SSC at 2 inter-departmental working level groups led by Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada and Public Safety Canada.

Capacity

In fiscal year 2023-24, the GBA Plus Guidance Unit:

• Published a set of practical resources as well as GBA plus guidance on SSC’s intranet. These tools incorporate SSC’s unique operational nature into the Department’s GBA Plus context. The published documents include:
  • A guide to GBA Plus at SSC,
  • A backgrounder to GBA Plus,
  • A step-by-step quick reference placemat and workbook,
  • Common issues and data sources,
  • GBA Plus assessment tool.
• Published on SSC’s intranet site in July 2023, the results of the qualitative experiment on what the Unit heard from members of the diversity networks and functional specialists regarding incorporating their lived and professional experiences into the foregoing set of resources. This report includes lessons learned and the way forward for change.
• Refined integrations of GBA Plus into Department planning and reporting such as the Departmental Plan, Branch Business Plans and Program Information Profiles.
• The Unit delivered 5 “GBA Plus 101” presentations at various departmental committee meetings.
• The Unit supported GBA Plus content for 8 Cabinet documents.
• The Unit conducted a preliminary analysis towards a comprehensive review of SSC’s 7 service lines based on content in the Branch Business Plans, Program Information Profiles, Treasury Board of Canada submissions, and other areas of SSC’s business.

Accessibility

In December 2022, the Department published SSC’s Accessibility Plan 2022–25, meeting the legislative requirements of the Accessible Canada Act. The plan sets clear goals to identify, remove, and prevent barriers in our workplace, policies, programs and services. The plan, which was developed and published in collaboration and consultation with persons with disabilities, strengthens SSC’s foundation for building an accessible and inclusive workplace.

In 2023-24, SSC’s Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) Program continued to provide a wide range of adaptations, alternate approaches, tools, training, services, resources, and adaptive computer technologies for public service employees with disabilities or injuries. The demand for AAACT services continues to increase, and SSC is working to address this demand.

The Lending Library Service pilot project, which launched in 2021, continued in 2023-24. Originally launched in 2020 to assist short-term public service employees in need of workplace accommodations, it was expanded in 2021 to include all public service employees with disabilities, illnesses, or injuries. The project aims to provide quick access to accommodations, technology, and services to address barriers for employees. In 2023-24, 1,697 adaptive tools were loaned to employees from 81 GC departments and agencies. The top 3 departments are: Public Services and Procurement Canada, Health Canada, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Additionally, Lending Library Service loaned over 200 software licenses to employees within the GC while their own departments procured the necessary licenses.

Human Resources and the Workplace

Human Resources and the Workplace (HRW) supported the GBA Plus Training Strategy to promote available guides and tools, including promotion of the GBA Plus intranet landing page, promotion of “GBA Plus Awareness Week”, and worked to request having the Canada School of Public Service Course “Introduction to GBA Plus” as a mandatory course for supervisors, managers and executives starting in the 2024-25. In 2023-24, although the course was not added to the list of mandatory courses for employees, 1.18% of SSC employees completed the course for their own learning needs.

From June 2023 to February 2024, the Leadership Development Team delivered a cohort for the Mentorship component of the Mentorship Plus program, which is a program only for Employment Equity seeking groups. SSC successfully provided 50 mentee-mentor relationships through the Mentorship Plus program for equity seeking groups. The evaluation showed that participants appreciated the program and that the mentees met their development goals. SSC also began its third cohort for the sponsorship component of the Mentorship Plus program, with 10 relationships established in February 2024.

SSC Career Development Programs (CDP) are available to all employees, depending on their group and level. This past year, SSC leveraged leadership development programs, like the Aspiring Leaders program, which aims to train and prepare employees to assume positions of leadership. These programs were promoted to diversity networks, and some included specific equity cohorts.

SSC establishes yearly recruitment targets that are based on SSC and GC priorities related to workforce renewal, increasing the Department’s regional footprint, and having a diverse and inclusive workforce. These targets are Employment Equity (EE) focused and include women in IT, students, regions and the Black community. In 2023-24, SSC continued to work towards meeting its targets for recruitment and retention of equity deserving groups, notably in women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), persons with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples. SSC has a strong focus on diversity and inclusion and will continue to encourage and support EE recruitment, retention and career progression including employees with disabilities and Indigenous employees. As a result of the recruitment targets for the regions, SSC has increased its regional population by 425 employees for a total of 2,981 regional employees over the last year. SSC has a regional footprint of 70.3% in the National Capital Region; and 29.7% in the regions. SSC’s proportion of indeterminate employees in NCR (89.9%) is 5% higher than that of the Public Service in NCR which in total is 84.9%.

Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus

The GBA Plus Guidance Unit, a centre of expertise within the department, raises awareness and supports SSC's understanding and implementation of GBA Plus. The  Unit comprises of 2.75 full-time equivalents (FTEs). In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Unit enhanced its institutional capacity by creating an intranet space where GBA Plus tools and resources were made available to employees, and by continuously ensuring the proper integration of GBA plus into the planning and decision-making processes across the department. This included building knowledge and capacity in completing GBA Plus assessments in teams across the department. The GBA Plus Guidance Unit also provided GBA Plus training resources to all SSC employees and guidance in implementing GBA Plus considerations from three perspectives: the employer, the service provider and the department.

Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility: Common Government of Canada Information Technology (IT) Operations

Program name: Security

Program goals: Security-based IT Infrastructure and Services are responsive to the needs of GC departments and agencies. The secure remote access (SRA) initiative under the Security Program at SSC is one example of how SSC has been maturing its approach to GBA Plus. The SRA initiative supports the IT requirements for GC public servants to work from home or other locations within Canada. While the GC has moved to hybrid work arrangements, the continuation of the SRA services supports public servants working remotely.‌

Core responsibility: Common Government of Canada IT Operations

Program name: Workplace technologies

Program goals: Workplace technologies provides multiple components to enable reliable and secure solutions for public servants across the GC, like email, workplace technology services, hardware and software, GC print services and service offerings. The program focuses on using a combination of cloud-based and on-premise solutions. SSC ensures that employees have the necessary accessible tools to do their work, regardless of their working style and work location, by contracting Microsoft 365.

Core responsibility: Common Government of Canada IT Operations

Program name: Telecommunications

Program goals: Telecommunications provides voice services, mobile services, telephony devices, and conferencing services to enable communications and virtual collaboration in the GC workplace. Additionally, the program offers contact centre services and toll-free services to enable communications with the Canadian public and private industry. Telecommunications is working with vendors to ensure a bilingual voice message option is available for users to promote language inclusivity.

Target population: SSC provides security, workplace technologies and telecommunications services to Government of Canada departments and the public servants that work in those institutions. The following is a breakdown of the Federal Public Service demographics as a whole (including SSC):

Distribution of benefits

Distribution of benefits

Distribution	Group
By gender	The public service is broadly gender balanced.
By income level	SSC does not have access to any statistics which can demonstrate the average federal public service salary. However, as of March 31 2023, the median income range of the Federal Public Service is situated from $80,000 to $84,999. This income level is situated above the Canadian income median, which was $70,500 in 2022.
By age group	The average age of the federal public service is 43.5 years, whereas the median age of Canadians in 2023 is 40.6 years. As such there is no significant generational impact.

Specific demographic group outcomes

Not applicable. The 3 identified programs (Security, Workplace technologies and Telecommunications) attempt to bridge potential barriers to public servant participation, like geographic location, accessibility and language.

Key program impacts on gender and diversity: Not available

Key program impact statistics: Not available

Other key program impacts: Not available

Supplementary information sources

Thirtieth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada - Privy Council Office - Canada.ca

Diversity and inclusion statistics - Canada.ca

The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2022 (statcan.gc.ca)

Distribution of public service of Canada employees by designated group and salary range - Canada.ca

GBA Plus data collection plan

In 2023-24, the GBA Plus Guidance Unit started working on a comprehensive review of SSC’s 7 service lines to identify opportunities to provide advice on areas for GBA Plus data collection in the Department. The final Comprehensive Review report is slated for publication in 2024-25. Additionally, the final report will highlight specific opportunities for GBA Plus considerations both by program and by identity factor (i.e. Women, Persons with disabilities, Visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, etc.). As SSC aims to continuously improve reporting and monitoring mechanisms on GBA Plus, the comprehensive review is a first step to establish a consistent GBA Plus data collection plan.